Re: LOCAL H (for token 90s band) in 11'

Only difference is Local H is still putting out excellent material.

Been a huge Local H fan for as far as I can remember. The whole "90's band" thing I think is a really bad stigma that they have had to live with even though some of their best material was released this past decade. If people could get over the High Fivin' shit and actually pay attention to what they have done since that song came out they would see that they are a very smart rock n roll band that continues to write great albums and put on some of the most energetic live shows out there. Plus, for two guys they make a lot of fucking noise.

Each year, the Tribune's critics are asked to select a "Chicagoan of the Year," which is defined as the artist or performer who best represents the city in each of our respective areas of coverage. Past winners on the music beat have included Mavis Staples, Buddy Guy, Ken Vandermark, Common, Delmark founder Bob Koester, Touch & Go label honcho Corey Rusk, Lounge Ax co-owners Sue Miller and Julia Adams, and Ben Weasel. This year's choice is Local H.

Last May, Local H celebrated the release of its latest album, “Twelve Angry Months,” by playing all six of its studio albums (plus a rarities compilation) in their entirety on consecutive nights at the Beat Kitchen.

More than just an exercise in nostalgia, the week-long residency demonstrated that Local H has not only endured since emerging in 1995 out of Zion, Ill., it has actually gotten better. Over the last 13 years, Local H --- singer-guitarist Scott Lucas and drummer Brian St. Clair (who replaced Joe Daniels in 2000) --- has expanded on its house-rocking live shows and smart-aleck lyrics to become artists of unexpected substance. They’re as good a rock band as any to call Chicago home in the last decade.

“Twelve Angry Months” is the latest in a series of song cycles written by Lucas, this time dealing with the many phases of a break-up. Kanye West, another artist with a Chicago pedigree, got a great deal more notice for making a similarly themed album, “808s and Heartbreak,” in 2008. But he’s got nothing on Lucas, who outdid himself in hacking through the clichés of heartbreak and distilling its ups and downs in a dozen songs.

Though the band’s early career in the immediate aftermath of the grunge era brought it the most notoriety, with songs such as “Eddie Vedder” and “High Fiving MF,” Lucas upped the artistic ante with “Pack Up the Cats” in 1998. A savagely funny and incisive critique of the music business, “Pack Up” also was a thumping rock album. Lucas has been on a roll ever since, with a marked increase in ambition in his songwriting and arranging.

“Twelve Angry Months” is the best album he’s done since then, quite an accomplishment for a band more than a decade into its career.

When interviewed soon after finishing the album, Lucas said he was intent on pushing the band forward in ways that perhaps even Local H’s own fans didn’t expect.

“So you think, ‘What haven’t we done?’ or ‘What aren’t we known for?’ We’re not seen as a band that wants to get down and deep about what goes on between people,” he said. “You get tired of people lumping you in with the big dumb rock guys.”

But even Lucas acknowledged that the results were greater than even he had imagined. “I don’t know what it is about this record that is so different, but the response has been really great,” he said. “Something is going on. I look at it as the band having two acts artistically and commercially, and this is the ‘Pack Up the Cats’ of the Brian era.”

Re: LOCAL H (for token 90s band) in 11'

Re: LOCAL H (for token 90s band) in 11'

Joe Daniels was indeed A BLACK GUUUUUUUUUY!!!!!! :0
And then he left the band almost 11 years ago and Brian St. Claire, A WHITE GUUUUUUUY joined the band and has been beating the shit out of the drums ever since

Re: LOCAL H (for token 90s band) in 11'

Originally Posted by shotglass75

Joe Daniels was indeed A BLACK GUUUUUUUUUY!!!!!! :0
And then he left the band almost 11 years ago and Brian St. Claire, A WHITE GUUUUUUUY joined the band and has been beating the shit out of the drums ever since

Well...you said it...11 years ago, during the 15 minutes they were popular, is when I (and probably most people) remember them...

Re: LOCAL H (for token 90s band) in 11'

Sometimes it seems like Scott Lucas doesn’t sleep. If it’s not seven consecutive nights at the Beat Kitchen for a run of Local H discography shows, it’s releasing two EPs on the same day, as was the case this past October with Local H and Lucas’ Married Men collective. Now, in 2011, the multi-tasking musician is readying two releases from Local H, with the first being a greatest hits collection set to drop under Universal Music’s ICON imprint on April 5th. The 12 song collection, comprised of material from the band’s Island Records albums, will also feature collectors cuts, including an alternate cut of a Ham Fisted track, as well as out of print soundtrack songs.

On the new music front, Local H is currently working on a new record, which Lucas reveals to CVU is “untitled as of yet – but I’m leaning towards Hallelujah! I’m A Bum.”

“I kind of want it to be a ‘state of the union’ type of statement from us,” the frontman continues. “It’s about almost everything : politics, neighborhoods, how we treat each other, the media, our patience as a nation, etc. etc. Just all of it. Sort of a political record that’s completely personal. I want to make a big statement in the smallest ways possible. Musically, we’re shooting for a big sound that’s all over the place. Sprawling. We’ve got big, adrenalized pop songs. There’s some metal going on in there. One of the songs is like a mix between Jonathan Richman and Killing Joke. There’s a even a straight-up country song. We’re shooting the works.”

Re: LOCAL H (for token 90s band) in 11'

Sucks.

Local H drummer Brian St. Clair is stepping away from the throne behind his kit and leaving the band. The band has stated the split is mutual and amicable. St. Clair was Local H's second drummer, replacing Joe Daniels when he left in 1999, but it wasn't the first time he'd played with frontman Scott Lucas. The two had shared the stage in the latter period of St. Clair's previous band Triple Fast Action when Lucas filled in on second guitar for a number of shows.

St. Clair is a monster behind the drum kit, hitting the skins harder than almost anyone else we've ever seen, but his style also brought a deft subtlety to the rhythms in Local H's music where other drummers might have either overplayed or played it too dumb. His contributions will be missed.
St. Clair will finish out the band's brief tour scheduled for this fall, and his last Chicago show with the band will be Sept. 7 at Metro, and it should be a monumental gig. The band's spokesperson told Chicagoist that the band will continue on with a different drummer, but not until after these shows.

The band's—in this incarnation—final tour dates are below, so if you live on the East Coast or the Midwest you may still have a chance to see them too.

Re: LOCAL H (for token 90s band) in 11'

Because I'm sure all of you care. Sounds to me like a good fit.

Local H’s November 8 show at RIBCO will be its first with new drummer Ryan Harding – and I do mean “new.” I asked Lucas whether Harding was a long-term replacement, and he sounded unprepared for the question. “Uhhhh ... yeah,” he said. “I guess you’re the first person I talked to about this, so I don’t really know exactly what to say about it. But yeah.” When asked about Harding’s strengths compared to St. Clair’s, Lucas suggested that their relationship is still a bit too fresh: “I don’t think we’re going to know that yet.”

Re: LOCAL H (for token 90s band) in 11'

LOCAL H ANNOUNCE ORIGINAL DRUMMER TO PLAY 20TH ANNIVERSARY AS GOOD AS DEAD SHOWS

Local H like to tease. A day before an official announcement, the band posted two teaser videos on their Facebook page. One showing original drummer Joe Daniels (1991-1999) sitting behind a drum kit literally beating the crap out of it. The other, posted shortly after, of someone playing guitar while Joe played drums. With each video posting, the band clearly stated, the rumors were true. However, with no details, it left fans wondering what exactly was going on.

On March 29, Scott Lucas officially let the cat out of the bag when he made a huge announcement on 101WKQX confirming original drummer, Joe Daniels, would be part of the As Good As Dead 20th anniversary tour. Joe will join the current two-man line-up (Scott Lucas, Ryan Harding) celebrating the band’s breakthrough album starting April 15 and 16 through June. Listen to Part 1 and 2 of the interview with Walt here.

The band will first play a short set of songs culled from last year’s widely praised album, Hey, Killer, along with music from their other six studio albums and EPs. After a brief intermission, they will return to the stage and play As Good As Dead in its entirety. There will be no opening act. Dates begin with two hometown shows at Metro in Chicago on April 15th and 16th. They hit Bowery Ballroom in New York on May 3rd and The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood on June 2nd. Find all dates below.

Official statement from Local H:

“The rumors are true. After 16 years, Joe Daniels will be re-joining us behind the kit for a run of shows celebrating the 20th anniversary of As Good As Dead.

Last fall, we were alerted that plans were underway to reissue our second record on vinyl. We wanted to be involved and contacted srcvinyl to see if they were interested in including some bonus tracks and demos. They were. They wondered if we were interested in doing some shows around the re-release. Maybe doing a tour where we play the record in its entirety.

We weren’t.

Here’s the thing: We’re not too hot on the whole nostalgia thing and the idea of playing a 20-year-old record didn’t fill us with a burning artistic desire. Besides –we’d just put out a new record that we were still psyched about and we were more than happy to concentrate on that.

And then (of course) we started thinking. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. We’ve played the record live before. It’s a concept record. It’s meant to be played that way. It’s not The Wall, but so fucking what? In fact, we’d played the whole album during our last show with Joe.

Which led to the obvious question: Why not have Joe play? When would there ever be a better reason? If all parties were down with the situation, why not put together a mega-Local H show at the Metro Chicago with As Good As Dead as the centerpiece?

Long story short, not only is that happening, but we’ve decided to take the show out on the road. We’ve spent the last few months practicing, shaking the dust off and crafting a set that A.) We’re pretty sure you’ll love, and B.) We’re totally sure to be proud of. As of now, we’ve got shows booked into June. After that? Who knows? And if you’re worried about what all this means for Ryan –don’t be. We’re taking him along. Everybody wins. An evening with Local H. No opener –just Joe, Ryan and Scott. Two drummers and a guitar player. The Two Balls And A Dick Tour.

For some of you, it’s been a long time since you’ve seen Joe play with the band. But some of you? Some of you never had the chance to see him play at all. We don’t think that’s fair and this is a chance to remedy that. See you out there.”

Watch Local H rehearsing Back In The Day with Joe Daniels at The Cold Space 3/28/2016 below.